Phnom Penh, August 1st. Young aspiring filmmakers from across ASEAN are gathering in Phnom Penh for a four-day ASEAN Youth Video Contest 2022 Training Workshop, supported by the U.S. Government through the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), in partnership with the ASEAN Foundation, ASEAN Senior Officials Meeting on Youth (SOMY) and Cambodia’s Ministry of Education, Youth and Sport. The finalists, ages 20 – 30 years old, representing nine of ten ASEAN member states, were shortlisted from over a hundred applications for this year’s contest themed: “Youth Addressing Challenges Together –Staying Dynamic in the Time of Pandemic: ACTnow!”
The ASEAN Youth Video Contest, first launched in 2015, aims to empower ASEAN youth to channel their energy and creative talents to express their understanding of and aspiration for the ASEAN Community, and the role of youth in community-building. This year’s contest, launched in April after a two-year hiatus due to COVID-19, invites reflections on youth experiences and involvement in responding to the challenges posed by the global pandemic and post-pandemic recovery.
This week, the nine finalists are participating in a professional video production workshop being held at the Sensory Park Urban Hotel in Phnom Penh. Over four days, the finalists will learn new skills related to filmmaking, including photography, videography, and editing. Finalists will gain tips and techniques to communicate their messages in a more effective and compelling way for reaching wider audiences. The in-person workshop also gives finalists an opportunity to make new friends with peers from other ASEAN countries, and explore Cambodia, the host country, together.
During the August 1st opening ceremony, H.E. Sroy Socheath, Cambodia’s SOMY Leader congratulated the nine AYVC finalists. Highlighting that today’s connected youth are able to share opinions and ideas across borders in real-time, H.E. Socheath encouraged the finalists to use this program to channel their creative energy to express their understanding of and aspirations for the ASEAN Community. H.E. Socheath linked this initiative with Cambodia’s efforts to promote opportunities for youth to develop technical and digital skills relevant to a future labor market in line with the ASEAN Work Plan on Youth 2021-2025, and expressed appreciation to the U.S. Mission to ASEAN, ASEAN Foundation, and the ASEAN Secretariat for their support.
In his opening remarks, Mahmudi Yusbi, the Head of Programme of the ASEAN Foundation, conveyed the hope that this workshop will provide a platform for finalists not only learn about video production and ASEAN Community and expand their network, but also how to leverage the power of digital communication to address today’s challenges and opportunities.
In his opening remarks, Mr. Jason Seymour, Spokesperson of the U.S. Mission to ASEAN, highlighted the AYVC as a key area of U.S. – ASEAN collaboration in promoting youth engagement in ASEAN Community strengthening. Mr. Seymour recognized the finalists’ diverse stories and talents demonstrated by their application videos and encouraged participants to continue developing them through the training workshop.
After the regional training, finalists will further refine and share their final videos via the ASEAN Secretariat YouTube channel. Judges will select the top three finalists in September, who will receive prizes and be invited to participate in the 28th ASEAN Socio-Cultural Community Council Meeting later in 2022.
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